The Virginia Complete Count Commission was created to improve the participation and representation of all Virginians in the 2020 Census. The Commission will facilitate the sharing of ideas and community resources regarding the 2020 Census as well as serve as a conduit between the Commonwealth and the United States Census Bureau.

“Since the beginning of my administration, we have worked to build a Commonwealth for all Virginians, no matter who you are or where you live,” said Northam. “The 2020 Census data is extremely important for Virginia, and by establishing the Complete Count Commission we will ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth are counted—from our largest cities to our smallest towns and rural communities.”

Every 10 years, the United States Constitution mandates a count of all the people living in the United States and its territories—the 2020 Census will address every household in the nation with a simple questionnaire. Data obtained by the survey will be compiled and a formal report will be submitted to the President of the United States by December 31, 2020. The data will help determine how approximately $675 billion dollars is distributed from the federal government to state, local, and tribal governments annually. The information will also be used in the redistricting of legislative districts and the reapportionment of Congressional seats held by individual states in the United States House of Representatives.

The Commission will enlist a broad range of stakeholders and representatives of constituencies that have historically been considered “hard-to-count” populations, to educate communities and promote the census. The group will collaborate with community partners and local Complete Count Committees to ensure an accurate 2020 Census count.

“Virginians are diverse and represent a true cross-section of America,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson. “In establishing the Complete Count Commission, Governor Northam is working to ensure those diverse voices are heard and that all Virginians are counted.”

The Virginia Complete Count Commission is comprised of up to 40 members appointed by the Governor representing a broad cross-section of the Commonwealth.

The members of the Virginia Complete Count Commission are:

Nony E. Abrajano of Virginia Beach, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Filipino American Community Action Group

Jonathan R. Alger of Harrisonburg, President, James Madison University

About the 2020 Census

The decennial census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the United States Constitution. The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place. Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, and to distribute more than $675 billion in federal funds to local, state, and tribal governments each year. Data will also be used to make decisions about which community services to provide. One way to help ensure that everyone is counted is to form Complete Count Committees in communities, municipalities, cities, counties, states, and tribal governments across the country. Complete Count Committees are volunteer teams consisting of community leaders, faith-based groups, schools, businesses, media outlets, and others who are appointed by elected officials and work together to ensure entire communities are counted. The 2020 Census will implement new technology to facilitate responses; for the first time, individuals will be able to respond online, by phone, as well as by mail. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.

To learn more about local Complete Count Committees or the United States Census, click here.

To learn more about the Virginia Complete Count Commission and read the text of Executive Twenty Seven, click here.

Subscribe

Augusta Free Press launched in 2002. The site serves as a portal into life in the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia – in a region encompassing Augusta County, Albemarle County and Nelson County and the cities of Charlottesville, Staunton and Waynesboro, at the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Trail.